Stanley cups, those 40 ounce containers of stainless steel-encased, insulated beverage technology, are a great way to stay hydrated. They’re also dangerous.
That’s the only conclusion one can reach after viewing the video of a fight at Rosedale Middle School on Feb. 28, shot by a student. A 12-year-old seventh-grade girl beats another seventh-grade girl with a Stanley Cup — hitting her, according to the victim’s mother, 18 times and sending her to the hospital. We’re not using names because they are minors.
The Rosedale Union School District is not the first U.S. school district to deal with the negative potential of the cups, which sell for $45 to $55 a pop.
The district sent KGET a copy of a districtwide email sent out to parents this week. It reads in part:
“Students shall not bring water or any other beverage from home in a container that has any metal, glass or a handle. … If a student is in possession of a beverage container that has any metal, glass, or a handle, the container will be confiscated.”Rosedale Union School District
Late Thursday, however, the district withdrew that order, pending further discussion.
These are mega-tumblers — similar to the Thermoses of old, but thicker, and with handles. These so-called Quenchers have helped Stanley grow its annual revenue from $70 million four years ago to more than $750 million last year. Credit new president Terence Reilly, who spent seven years turning Crocs into one of the hottest shoes on the market.
Quenchers have caused shopping frenzies and been the subject of “Saturday Night Live” satire. That’s how you know you’ve made it
And now, thanks to TikTok and other social media, it’s also a big, potentially deadly cup being touted as weaponry. And that may have been what was behind the Rosedale ban. Schools in Memphis and Houston have reported violent incidents involving the hefty metal cups.
The Rosedale Union School District doesn’t want to discourage students from staying hydrated. Officials would just prefer they not drink out of Stanley cups. Instead, they’re recommending traditional plastic bottles. Plastic? Some days it seems like a school superintendent just can’t win.
